Police Officer Alexander Vargas charged with misdemeanor DWI in crash that critically injured pedestrian, police say

An off-duty Suffolk County police officer was released after being charged in court with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated after he seriously injured a pedestrian in a crash early Sunday in downtown Huntington, Suffolk police said.

Officer Alexander Vargas, 30, was going south in a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro on New York Avenue when he hit Jorge Alfaro, 28, at the intersection with Carver Street around 2:30 a.m., according to Suffolk police. Vargas is an officer in the Second Precinct, which covers Huntington, police said.

Alfaro, of Huntington Station, was transported with serious injuries to Huntington Hospital. Police said Alfaro was in critical but stable condition.

Police said Vargas, who lives in Babylon and joined the force in January 2022, was suspended without pay after the crash. A police spokeswoman said Vargas stayed at the scene after the crash.

In court Monday, Vargas had his license suspended at his arraignment in Suffolk District Court in Central Islip. He pled not guilty.

Witnesses said the victim was crossing the street when he was hit and Vargas was driving recklessly, the prosecution said in court. 

Two witness statements say when Alfaro was hit, he flew in the air and landed at the entrance of a nearby service station, according to the criminal complaint. When police found him, he was unconscious and bleeding from his head and nose, the complaint said. A crowd had surrounded him after the crash.

The complaint said Vargas exhibited signs of intoxication, including bloodshot, glassy eyes and a smell of alcohol on his breath. Vargas told police he had just dropped off someone at their house when the man ran in front of his vehicle, the complaint said. The responding officer recognized Vargas as a member of the force and called for a supervisor to come to the scene, an officer said in a statement included in the complaint.

Monday, Vargas, whose family was in court, had no comment.

His attorney, Peter Mayer, told reporters afterward: "The family of my client and my client himself wishes the pedestrian a speedy recovery. That being said, this is just the beginning of the case. So I want everybody out there to remember the client is presumed innocent. He made a statement in there that he is not guilty of any criminality here, and we plan on receiving the evidence, going through that evidence, and I'm going to be conducting my own investigation here.

"Now, what I can also say is my client is a very good person. He has dedicated his life to the betterment of the community as a Suffolk County police officer since 2022," he said.

Police said in a news release Sunday the victim "was running westbound across New York Avenue at Carver Street when he was stuck." A police spokeswoman told Newsday that the victim "was not in the crosswalk" at the time he was hit. 

Vehicles driving south on New York Avenue, as Vargas was, do not have a stop sign at the intersection with Carver Street, but they are supposed to stop for pedestrians within crosswalks. There are four crosswalks at that intersection — two across New York Avenue and two across Carver Street.

Anyone with information on the crash can reach out to detectives at 631-852-6553.